Ethnoracial Discrimination and Subsequent Cognitive Functioning Among Adolescents: A 2‐Month Follow‐up Study

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Abstract
Introduction: Ethnoracial discrimination is a persistent risk factor for adolescents' developmental problems, yet limited research has examined its prospective association with adolescents' cognitive functioning. The current research employed a two‐wave design to investigate whether ethnoracial discrimination predicted subsequent adolescent cognitive functioning and to explore whether these associations differed between White adolescents and adolescents from ethnoracially minoritized backgrounds. Methods: The sample consisted of 113 adolescents (mean age = 14.85 years, SD = 0.41 years; 36% boys, 63% girls, 1% non‐binary; 35% non‐Hispanic White, 65% ethnoracially minoritized) in the Midwestern United States from 2018 to 2020. Using a two‐wave follow‐up design with assessments 2 months apart, adolescents completed self‐report measures of perceived ethnoracial discrimination and executive functioning as well as performance‐based cognitive tests. Results: Higher perceived ethnoracial discrimination was associated with greater self‐reported executive‐functioning problems and worse speeded set‐shifting over time, after adjustment for baseline cognitive functioning and demographic covariates. Both associations remained significant after false discovery rate correction. However, interaction and stratified analyses did not provide robust evidence that the associations differed between White adolescents and adolescents from ethnoracially minoritized backgrounds. Conclusions: Taken together, the findings highlight the detrimental role of ethnoracial discrimination for adolescent cognition, underscoring the urgency of combating ethnoracial discrimination and supporting adolescents who are impacted by discriminatory environments.
Funding Information
  • Spencer Foundation (201800033)

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